Inevitable Detour (Inevitability Book 1)(61)

“Yes,” she says. “I know everything. Rick told me I was taken because of the things Farren has done to stop that organization.”

“Rick told you everything?” I ask, amazed and kind of shocked that he divulged so much.

“He never would have said a word on his own,” Haven replies. “But Farren gave him the go-ahead to tell me everything.”

Aha, I didn’t think Rick would divulge all that confidential information on his own.

I say to Haven, “So, you know Farren and Rick help other girls who’ve been abducted?”

“Yes, I know.” She nods and then reiterates, “I told you, Essa, I know everything. I know about the organization that Eric and Vincent work for. I know how it’s tied to legit businesses. I know about that rich man who approached Farren. I know that Farren hired Rick to assemble teams. And I know that they’ve been trying to infiltrate the human-trafficking arm of the corporation. Rick said they’ve had some success in rescuing a few of the girls who’ve been kidnapped.”

“I guess you do know everything,” I say when she’s finished.

Everything is quiet, until she says, “Just between us, Essa, Eric is definitely involved in the worst of the worst, but I’m not so sure about Vincent.”

I make a face. “Uh, Haven, he kidnapped you along with Eric. Plus, he drugged me that night. I didn’t wake up until late the next day.”

“I know, but something is different about him.”

“Like what?” I want to know.

“For one, he never touched me. Not once. And he certainly could have; Eric offered me to him all the time. And, he was just…I don’t know. He seemed concerned with keeping Eric from getting too crazy with me. I don’t think he wanted me harmed.”

“You were harmed, Haven,” I remind her, my eyes fixed on her neck.

“I mean really harmed.” Her hand goes to her bruised skin. “These marks will heal,” she says. “Eric could have done things that were permanent.”

I shudder as I take into consideration what Haven is saying. True, Vincent did display some kindness to me the night Haven was taken. He didn’t take advantage of me, for one. Hell, he even brought me a bucket when I was feeling sick. And now to learn he never had sex with Haven, even when many of Eric’s associates did. Maybe Vincent is not as horrible as I originally thought. But why would he hold back? Why not behave as terribly as the rest of the men? What’s his angle in all of this?

“Do you think Vincent works with Rick and Farren?” I throw out.

“I thought that,” she replies. “But when I flat-out asked Rick, he said no.”

“Yeah,” I say, thoughtful. “I didn’t get that impression from Farren, either.”

We’re well and truly stumped on how the mysterious Vincent fits into the scheme of things. But clearly he’s not as bad as Eric and Dawson. As I recall horrible Dawson, with a disgusted shudder, I consider sharing with Haven my encounter with the old pervert. But I decide to hold off. It would feel too weird to detail how her brother had to finger me to orgasm in front of another man. If Farren wasn’t related to her, I could share. But since he is her brother, I choose to skip the sordid tale.

“What are you thinking about, Essa?” Haven asks. Her tone is suspicious. She knows I’m holding back.

Without going into the specifics of what happened with Dawson, I say, “I was just thinking about someone Farren and I met up with before we came here.”

“One of them?” she quietly asks.

“Yeah,” I say sourly. And then I ask, “Did you ever meet a man named Dawson during your time with Eric?”

I give her a description, but she shakes her head. “No, he doesn’t fit the description of any of the guys I, uh…saw. All of them were younger.”

“I think he’s the boss,” I remark, and then, out of pure curiosity, I add, “What about this Mr. Barnes that Farren and Rick work for? What’s the deal with him?”

“I don’t know. Rick didn’t say too much about him. Just that he approached Farren right after he was discharged from the military.”

“Do you know about his daughter?” I whisper.

She nods and replies quietly, “Yes, I know.”

Haven and I spend the next thirty minutes trying to figure out what, besides the huge amounts of money, could have lured Farren to work for Quinton Barnes. What was so convincing that he chose to bring on his closest associate and friend, Rick? What could be so compelling that Farren would even put together teams to fight this fight?

“Was human trafficking a cause near and dear to Farren in the past?” I ask Haven.

“Not that I know of,” she says, frowning. She is as stumped as I am. “I mean, I’m sure he thought it was awful and all. But, I don’t know… I think we’re missing something.”

“Yeah,” I agree, “we have to be missing something. I mean, something made Farren say yes to Barnes. And it wasn’t the money. He’s said as much.” I sigh. “He’s just so thoroughly committed. There has to be a reason.”

“I agree,” Haven says. “And from what Rick has been saying the past few days, it sounds like they’re staying in it.”

“They are,” I say dourly. “Farren told me the same thing.”